Efficiency desk



March 31, 1953 A. R. MGALLlsTl-:R

EFFICIENCY DESK Filed Feb. '7, 1949 38/ 54 .53 .56' 33 ,liga

INVENTOR. AUST l N R. MSALLIl-ER.z

Patented Mar. 31, 1953 STAT PATENT OFFICE EFFCIENCY DESK' AustinY Rayn: McAllister,A Cleveland,Y Ohio:

Application Felirm'tr;r 7, 1949, SeralNb. 75,033'

32 Claims. l

This: invention rela-tes to desks', particularly to' desks adapted for use by number of persons.

The-usual office'desk is adapted" for use by only one person, but` requires a great deal of floor space; If' desk space to be provided for four persons; four such desks are required, which will ll' a rather large roon'r Much' of the space requirement ofA desks is wasted,v since their supercial area is greater than the normal demand'v for working' space.

Moreover. where duties ofV the"v occupants of the desks are such thaty they" need to conferoften withV each other; nol practicable arrangement of individual desks can be made to facilitate com` municatiolr` The occupants are either separated by a great exigianseK of desk,Y or` are back-tback and are then in each others wzw'unless the desks are widely spaced.

Also, with a number of: desks', the provision of such services as light', telephones, call bells, and waste disposal is expensive'.

My invention resolves these diiculties by theprovisionI of a single desk particularly adapted for convenient use by a number' ofVA persons', preferably four.

In itsr preferred form, the invention provides adequate desk and` drawer space for each or" four persons. The arrangement is suoli. that c'onferf ences, issuing, instructions, and joint: activities of all; sorts are carried. on with maximum convenience. The space requirement of.` the installation is small; The provision of' telephone, and other comnnmic-ation apparatusdights, and vWaste removal is facilitated'. 'Ille desk with its eq'iiip.- ment is economical' in relation toV its, capacity.

The principalY objects oi' the invention. `are to provide the most favorable arrangementA of' a number of persons at. aA desk, to, oice space, toprovide.. utilities conveniently and economical lyand to providey a desk with. adequate and'convenient table. and drawer`v accommodations for a number of persons.

The manner in whichrthese objects arereali'zed, and other more or lessancillary objectsv of,` the invention, will be apparent to, those skilledintlie art from the appended specification andthe accompanying drawingsl in which:

Fig; 1' isY a. perspective view of a desk for foiir persons:

Fig'. 2 isy ar plan. View with. the top remoyedf Fig; 3' is a vertical section on the plane indi'- cated in Fig'. 2;'

Fig'. 4 isa perspective view of the central portion of" the desk; and

Fig'. 5 is' an enlarged detail of" Fig. 3.

H", one ofwliich is located at' each eomerof tlieir desk. These pedestalsare preferably square in Outline'. The designv of' the pedstals from the standpoint of styleJ of the piece of' furniture is immaterial to the invention, the style illustrated herein being' merely-v exemplary. The arrange'- mentv of drai'vers and compartments iin'4 the pedestais isa feature of the invention com',ribnting to the eici'eney of the desk, butv ofi course variations may be made to suitfindilvid'iial tastes; and needs as desired".

The physical cons't'11i -ii'}ic` nI of the pdstals iii the illustration herein. follows established .principles oi constructionV in Woodworking' insofar as cabinet work or joining is concerned, and.4 tliere-V forenoY detailed description ofZ the woodworking. techniques involved orA- the dtails of the forming, ttingi, and assembling ofV the individual mem bers is required, as the construction details are well understood bythose` skilled in the art ofl fur'- nitureA making.

In general, each pedestal ccfm1`4pri'sesl a lower or' root portion I2, an intermediate portion I3 over'- hanging-Y the foot' portion, and an upper portion f4 overhang'ing' the intermediate portion; In' plan View the sections are rectangular, except that' the cuter corners are preferablyv rounded. The two' sides of'each pedestal'whicli lie under the desk are enclosed by panels H5 and suitable ver-s ticalmembers such as l1', le, le, and 20 attire corners of ther pedestal constitute partsy or the frame. Relatively deep drawers 2li, 2|, 22', and 23", the" length of' which is substantially equal to the`V overall length of the pedestal", slide into the pedestal from one outer f'ace thereof', preferably the face which is disposed tobe located` at. theV right hand of ar person at the center of the' Side of the desk'. These drawers are of the usual' type of construction and slide on rails suchy as 24 mountedl in any suitable'manner. The space iii the upper overhanging portionv of" the pedestal between the' drawer 23 and' tlieface of the pedesta'lv parallel* the side of" the drawer 23" is` oce cupied byarelativelyshallowdrawerl A sha1- l-ow compartment toy which, accessi's 'provided' bya swinging doorZzl' lies lbeneaththe drawer 2,5' and alongside the drawers 20, 2|, and 22,. Below the rounded corner of the desk and between the drawers 23 and 25 a` shelf' 28' is provided, which may'` be conveniently used for ash'trays or. the like, and the corner of the desk is trimmed'by a quarter-cylindrical panel or molding 29. The drawers and the door 21 are provided with pulls which may be of a disappearing type as indicated at 3| and 32 in Fig. 2. Each of the pedestals H is a complete, independent, self-supporting unit and all are preferably identical.

The pedestals are preferably fixed together in proper alignment by tie members 33 secured to the uprights by angle brackets 34 and screws. Their alignment may also be insured by a central enclosure 35 shown most particularly in Fig. 4, which is of generally cruciform shape in plan, being formed with upright side panels 3B inclined slightly outwardly from the base of the enclosure, which reach across between the side panels I of the pedestals. The panels 36 are fitted to tapered panels 3l which are joined at right angles and which lie against the inner portion of the side panels l5 of the pedestals. Horizontal frame members 38 and 39 at the bottom and top of the panels and 3l, respectively, complete the structure of three sides of the enclosure. On one side a door 4l is hinged to the frame member at 38 and is provided with a catch by which it is latched to the upper cross member 42. The enclosure assembly 35 may be simply tted between the pedestals or it may be secured to them if desired to increase the rigidity of the assembly.

. Rails 115 may be provided on the inner faces of the pedestals to support center drawers l5 immediately under the top of the desk.

Kneehole openings are dened on each side of the desk under the drawers d5 by the side panels I5 of the pedestals and the panels 35. In the form illustrated, the kneehole is enclosed down to the floor, but it will be understood that the desk may be supported on legs clear of the floor ifdesired. i

The toppanel l!! may be formed in any conventional manner as by glueing boards together in edge-to-edge relation or may be of plywood, and may be covered with linoleum or other surface material if desired. The top is secured to the pedestals in any conventional manner or may simply rest thereon. The central circular portion 5| of the desk top (Fig. 3) is cut out from the remainder of the top and is supported on a preferably conical pedestal 52 which may be formed from plywood or the like and is in turn supported on a plate 53 fixed to the bottom frame members 3S of the enclosure. Preferably, pedestal 52 is closed at its lower end by a circular` board 5d which is screwed to the plate 53. The pedestal 52 provides a convenient place for a wastebasket 5S which may be removed through an opening 5l in the side of the pedestal and the door 4l in the enclosure. A generally rectangular box-like structure 58 surmounted by a cap 55 constitutes a continuation of the pedestal 52 above the top of the desk, being mounted on the section 5l of the desk. Slots 6i in the sides of the box 58, which may normally be closed by flaps S2, provide for the convenient disposition of waste paper and the like by the occupants of the desk. A chute 63, which may be a cylinder of cloth open at both ends, is suspended from the upper part of the column so as to guide the waste into the basket 55. The upper part of the column 58 is provided with glazed openings tso that a light or individual lights .(not shown) mounted within the column may illuminate the desk. A skirt S5 depending from the cap 59 shields the light from the occupants of, the desk.

In order to provide communication facilitiesl such as telephones and call buttons, so as to be convenient to all the occupants without uunecessary multiplication of facilities, a rotatable annular platform 'i6 is fitted in the top of the desk around the column which platform, by way of illustration, is shown as carrying a telephone set ll. The inner portion of the desk top is relieved as indicated at 'l2 in Fig. 3 to receive the annular platform 'i which may thus be made flush with the surface of the desk. Preferably the platform l0 is fitted on its under surface with an annular track 7S which runs on grooved rollers lli recessed into the desk top. The edges of the platform 13 may be protected by rings of molding 14 and 'l5 which may be fixed either to the rotating ring or to the stationary parts of the desk.

In order that the platform may be rotated and carry the telephone handset from one position to another, a clearance slot 16 is provided between the platform l@ and the inner portion 5l of the desk top and a hole 'il is drilled in the platform over the annular slot; the telephone cord i8 is of sufficient length to permit rotation and may simply hang slack against the cuter surface of the column` 52, leaving a bight between the handset and the fixed end of the cord.

As will be apparent, electrical connections for signaling or intercommunication systems may be provided on the platform 'lll in a similar manner to the installation of the telephone handset.

The cap 5S of the desk may be used as a Stand for a table lamp if additional illumination is desired. This cap lifts off for access to the lamps within the column.

While the construction of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in some detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the construction may `be variously modified within the spirit of the inven-v tion, which resides principally in the general arrangement of parts to form a new and useful entity rather than in structural details. For example, the principles of the invention may be embodied in a metal desk as well as in a wooden one, and changes in decorative style or in the dimensions andA relative disposition of drawers to suit the requirements of individual installations rnay be made within the scope of the nvention.

By appropriate modification of the units of the desk, principally by providing pedestals which are of left and right-hand construction and eliminating the center draweron two sides, but retaining the desirable features of the desk which fit it for multiple occupancy, a most convenient and efficient desk for two people may be provided. Also, by making the desk pentagonal or hexagonal, for example, a greater number of persons than four may be accommodated. However, the form shown, for four persons, is believed to be the best in most cases for economy and eiciency as well as convenience.

I claim:

1. A desk comprising four substantially square pedestals, a substantially square top supported by a pedestal at each corner thereof, and a central enclosure joining the pedestals adjacent the inner corners thereof, the top, pedestals, and enclosure defining kneeholes at each side of the desk, each pedestal being tted with drawers withdrawable from one outer side thereof and with a compartment at the other outer side thereof, and a door in the said other side for access to the compartment.

2. A desk comprising four substantially rectangular pedestals, a substantially rectangular top supported by a pedestal at each corner thereof, and a central enclosure joining the pedestals adjacent the inner corners thereof, the top, pedestals, and enclosure defining kneeholes at each side of the desk, each pedestal being fitted with drawers withdrawable from one outer side thereof and the pedestals being so located that the drawers of each pedestal are accessible from the adjacent side of the desk.

3. A desk comprising a substantially equilateral polygonal bop, pedestals adjacent the corners thereof supporting the top and dening kneeholes at each side of the desk, drawers in the pedestals accessible from one outer side thereof, a cupboard in each pedestal accessible from the other outer side thereof, and an enclosure located between the inner corners of the pedestals and closing the inner ends of the kneeholes.

AUSTIN RAYN MCALLISTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

